From experience, the pilot preferred not to manoeuvre in the vicinity of the Pointe-aux-Trembles anchorage early in the morning because of the heavy traffic caused by the departure of downbound vessels. When the VTC assigned the vessel to the Pointe-aux-Trembles anchorage, the pilot immediately asked about the availability of the Montreal East anchorage. Even though the pilot raised the possibility to VTC that the selection of the anchorage at Pointe-aux-Trembles could affect the safety of the ship and the vessel did not receive permission immediately to anchor at the Montreal East anchorage, the choice of anchorage could have been negociated after the vessel had left the confines of the narrow Seaway channel. The pilot's primary task was the conduct of the vessel. When the radiotelephone conversation between the pilot and the VTC evolved into an argument, it increased the pilot's workload. A typically succinct conversation was not carried out and the pilot's attention was divided between conducting the vessel and pressing his arguments in order to obtain the Montreal East anchorage. The uninterrupted conversation prevented him from focussing his full attention on the conduct of the vessel. The helmsman was using the gyrocompass and landmarks to determine the direction of the vessel in order to keep the vessel on track. Because of the good visibility in the confined waters of the Canal de la Rive Sud, he was able to make good use of landmarks rather than the gyrocompass, which had some directional response lag. Sustained concentration on the navigational equipment or a distraction prevented the helmsman from assessing in time the extent of the initial yaw.Analysis From experience, the pilot preferred not to manoeuvre in the vicinity of the Pointe-aux-Trembles anchorage early in the morning because of the heavy traffic caused by the departure of downbound vessels. When the VTC assigned the vessel to the Pointe-aux-Trembles anchorage, the pilot immediately asked about the availability of the Montreal East anchorage. Even though the pilot raised the possibility to VTC that the selection of the anchorage at Pointe-aux-Trembles could affect the safety of the ship and the vessel did not receive permission immediately to anchor at the Montreal East anchorage, the choice of anchorage could have been negociated after the vessel had left the confines of the narrow Seaway channel. The pilot's primary task was the conduct of the vessel. When the radiotelephone conversation between the pilot and the VTC evolved into an argument, it increased the pilot's workload. A typically succinct conversation was not carried out and the pilot's attention was divided between conducting the vessel and pressing his arguments in order to obtain the Montreal East anchorage. The uninterrupted conversation prevented him from focussing his full attention on the conduct of the vessel. The helmsman was using the gyrocompass and landmarks to determine the direction of the vessel in order to keep the vessel on track. Because of the good visibility in the confined waters of the Canal de la Rive Sud, he was able to make good use of landmarks rather than the gyrocompass, which had some directional response lag. Sustained concentration on the navigational equipment or a distraction prevented the helmsman from assessing in time the extent of the initial yaw. The pilot divided his attention between the conduct of the vessel and the uninterrupted radiotelephone conversation. The extent of the yaw was not assessed in time. The helm manoeuvres did not cancel the yaw. There were no crew members on the forecastle to drop the anchor. The engine manoeuvres did not prevent the vessel from striking the bottom.Findings The pilot divided his attention between the conduct of the vessel and the uninterrupted radiotelephone conversation. The extent of the yaw was not assessed in time. The helm manoeuvres did not cancel the yaw. There were no crew members on the forecastle to drop the anchor. The engine manoeuvres did not prevent the vessel from striking the bottom. The EUROPEGASUS struck the edge of the channel because an appropriate watch was not kept to stay on course. The helm and engine manoeuvres were not carried out in time to prevent the vessel from striking the bottom, and there was no one on the forecastle to drop the anchor.Causes and Contributing Factors The EUROPEGASUS struck the edge of the channel because an appropriate watch was not kept to stay on course. The helm and engine manoeuvres were not carried out in time to prevent the vessel from striking the bottom, and there was no one on the forecastle to drop the anchor.